Mobile device attendance verification with location data

ABSTRACT

Provided are systems and methods of attendance verification using mobile electronic devices (or “mobile devices”). In some embodiments, a person&#39;s biometric data is acquired and verified locally by a mobile device associated with the person while the mobile device is located in a geographic region associated with an event, and attendance data, including an indication of the verification of the biometric data along with a unique identifier of the mobile device, such as an international mobile equipment identity (IMEI) of the mobile device, is transmitted to an attendance server that makes a record of the person&#39;s attendance of the event based on the attendance data.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/830,356 filed Dec. 4, 2017, which is hereby incorporated byreference.

FIELD

Embodiments relate generally to attendance verification and moreparticularly to attendance verification employing mobile electronicdevices.

BACKGROUND

It is often desirable to verify person's attendance at a given event,such as an instructional course or a work shift. Attendance verificationcan be used to determine whether a person has complied with attendancerequirements at these types of events. For example, in the context of aninstructional course, attendance verification can be used to verify thata person attended the course and should receive credit for attending thecourse. In the context of a workplace, attendance verification can beused to verify that an employee was present for their work shift andshould receive pay for the time worked. Attendance verification has beenaccomplished in various manner. For example, in an instructional coursesetting, such as in a classroom or at a seminar, an instructor may takeattendance verbally or attendees may sign a “sign-in” sheet to indicatetheir attendance. In a workplace setting, a worksite may have an on-siteterminal located in a fixed position within the worksite that employeesphysically approach to check-in when they arrive to work or check-outwhen they leave work, sometime referred to as clocking-in andclocking-out.

SUMMARY

Applicants have recognized that traditional attendance verificationsystem suffer from various shortcomings. In some instances, traditionalattendance verification systems are easily defeated. For example, in thecontext of a workplace having an on-site terminal, an employee mayarrive at a worksite and use a terminal to check-in at the beginning ofa shift, leave the worksite during the shift, and return to the worksiteand use the terminal to check-out at the end of the shift, making itappear as though the employee was present for the entire shift. In thecontext of an instructional course having a sign-in sheet, a person maysimply sign the name of another person that is not present, making itappear as though the other person attended the course.

As biometric screening devices have evolved, certain attendance systemsrely on biometrics to confirm attendance. For example, some attendancesystems employ a biometric attendance terminal having a finger-printscanner that requires a person to submit their finger print to verifytheir identify, when checking-in or checking-out. Although these systemcan provide a relatively higher level of verification as compared totraditional terminals, they still suffer from shortcomings. For example,in the context of a workplace having on-site biometric attendanceterminals, employees may still need to wait in line to access theterminal, which results in wasted time and can require employees toleave their work duties to check-in throughout the work day. Further,the terminals may have a relatively high cost to install and maintain,especially in instances where a workplace has several biometricattendance terminals located throughout a facility. Moreover, thesetypes of systems can still be fooled. For example an employee can use areproduced fingerprint of another employee to check-in for the otheremployee.

Certain electronic attendance systems allow persons to claim attendance(or “check-in”) by way of mobile electronic devices. Unfortunately,these types of electronic attendance systems can also be defeated. Forexample, an employee may give their smart phone to another employeeattending an event to check-in or check-out for the employee. In aneffort to combat these types of devious actions, some attendanceverification systems employ personal information to check-in orcheck-out. For example, an electronic attendance system may require aperson to submit biometric information, such as a fingerprint, to verifytheir identity when checking-in. Unfortunately, such systems may requirethe dissemination of sensitive information. For example, a server maystore the biometric information and other personal information of all ofthe potential attendees, creating a risk that the biometric informationand other personal information can be stolen or otherwise compromised.

Recognizing these and other shortcomings of existing systems, Applicantshave developed novel systems and methods of attendance verificationusing mobile electronic devices (or “mobile devices”). In someembodiments, a person's biometric data is acquired and verified locallyby a mobile device associated with the person while the mobile device islocated in a geographic region associated with an event, and attendancedata, including an indication of the verification of the biometric dataalong with a unique identifier of the mobile device, such as aninternational mobile equipment identity (IMEI) of the mobile device, istransmitted to an attendance server that makes a record of the person'sattendance of the event based on the attendance data.

In some embodiments, a mobile device (e.g., a mobile phone) having anintegrated fingerprint scanner is used to acquire a fingerprint of aperson (e.g., an employee) while the mobile device is located in ageographic region of interest (e.g., in a worksite associated with awork shift), the mobile device conducts local processing of thefingerprint acquired to determine whether the acquired fingerprint isconsistent with a fingerprint of a person associated with the mobiledevice, and, in response to determining that the fingerprint acquired isconsistent with a fingerprint of a person associated with the mobiledevice, the mobile device sends, to a remote device (e.g., an attendanceserver), attendance data including a unique identifier of the mobiledevice (e.g., an IMEI number of the mobile device) and other relevantattendance information, such as a time and date associated withacquisition of the fingerprint and a location of the mobile device at ornear the time of acquisition of the fingerprint. In response toreceiving the attendance data, the server records the attendance of theperson at the event associated with the time and location, and sends aconfirmation of attendance to the mobile device, which can be displayedby and saved at the mobile device.

Such an attendance verification system can enable persons to check-inusing an attendance application on their mobile device, without havingto visit a physical on-site terminal. In the context of a workplace, forexample, such an attendance verification system can enable employees tocheck-in using an attendance application on their mobile device, withouthaving to physically approach an on-site terminal located at a worksite.This can be advantageous as an employer may not need to incur theexpense of purchasing and maintaining on-site terminals, employees maynot need to wait in line or leave their work duties to check-in, and thelocation of the mobile device can be used to prompt employees tocheck-in or check-out.

Such an attendance verification system may prevent the dissemination ofsensitive information. Attendance can be verified without a serverneeding to store biometric information, such as fingerprints, or otherpersonal information of potential attendees, helping to reduce a risk ofbiometric information and other personal information being compromised.For example, in some embodiments, biometric data is verified locally onthe mobile device, and the attendance data transmitted to an attendanceserver includes an indication of the verification of the biometricinformation and a unique identifier of the mobile device, but does notinclude the actual biometric information. In the context of verificationusing a person's fingerprint, a person may submit their fingerprint byway of a fingerprint scanner on their mobile device, the finger printmay be processed by an attendance verification application on theperson's mobile device to verify the identity of the person, and, inresponse to verifying the identity of the person, the mobile device maysend attendance data, including an indication of the verification of theidentity of the person and a unique identifier of the mobile device, toan attendance server for use in making a record of the person'sattendance at an event, without the mobile device transmitting theperson's fingerprint or the server receiving the person's fingerprint.

Such an attendance verification system may reduce network bandwidthrequirements. For example, not having to transmit the fingerprint mayreduce the amount of data that is transferred to verify persons'attendance. For example, the size of the attendance data for a personmay be relatively small in comparison to attendance data for the personthat includes an image or other representation of the person'sfingerprint, reducing the amount of data transmitted between the mobiledevice and the attendance server. This can be especially important inthe context of an attendance verification system used to verifyattendance of a relatively large number of persons on a regular basis,such as a workplace attendance verification system used to verifyattendance of hundreds or thousands of employees at various timesthroughout a workday.

Although certain embodiments are described in the context of a workplaceverification system for the purpose of illustration, similar embodimentscan be employed in various other contexts. For example, embodiments maybe employed to verify attendance of students in classrooms and to verifythe attendance of persons at conferences or other events.

Provided in some embodiments is an attendance verification systemincluding an attendance server having a device mapping including amapping of international mobile equipment identities (IMEIs) torespective personal identifiers, and an attendance record including alisting of attendance events documenting attendance of persons atevents. The system further including a mobile electronic deviceincluding a memory, an international mobile equipment identity (IMEI) ofthe mobile electronic device stored in the memory of the mobileelectronic device, characteristics of a fingerprint of a personassociated with the mobile electronic device stored in the memory of themobile electronic device, and a fingerprint scanner. The mobileelectronic device adapted to perform the following operations: acquire afingerprint of a user of the mobile electronic device by way of thefingerprint scanner; determine a time and date of the acquisition of thefingerprint of the user by way of the fingerprint scanner; determine alocation of the mobile electronic device at the time of the acquisitionof the fingerprint of the user by way of the fingerprint scanner;compare characteristics of the fingerprint of the user acquired to thecharacteristics of the fingerprint of the person associated with themobile electronic device stored in the memory of the mobile electronicdevice to determine whether the user is the person associated with themobile electronic device; and, in response to determining that the useris the person associated with the mobile electronic device, send to theattendance server, attendance data including the following: the IMEI ofthe mobile electronic device; the time and date of the acquisition ofthe fingerprint of the user by way of the fingerprint scanner; and thelocation of the mobile electronic device at the time of the acquisitionof the fingerprint of the user by way of the fingerprint scanner. Theattendance server adapted to perform the following: in response toreceiving the attendance data: determine a personal identifier of theperson associated with the mobile electronic device based on a mappingof the IMEI of the mobile electronic device to a personal identifier ofthe person associated with the mobile electronic device in the devicemapping; and generate, in the attendance record, an attendance eventassociating the person associated with the mobile electronic device withat an event associated with the time and date of the acquisition of thefingerprint of the user by way of the fingerprint scanner and thelocation of the mobile electronic device at the time of the acquisitionof the fingerprint of the user by way of the fingerprint scanner, todocument attendance of the person associated with the mobile electronicdevice at the event.

In some embodiments, the mobile electronic device further includesattendance region data defining geographic extents of an attendanceregion associated with the event stored in a memory of the mobileelectronic device, and the mobile electronic device is further adaptedto determine whether the mobile electronic device is located in theattendance region associated with the event, and the acquisition of thefingerprint of the user of the mobile electronic device by way of thefingerprint scanner is performed in response to determining that themobile electronic device is located in the attendance region associatedwith the event. In certain embodiments, the mobile electronic device isfurther adapted to, in response to determining that the mobileelectronic device is located in the attendance region associated withthe event, prompt the user of the mobile electronic device to submit thefingerprint by way of the fingerprint scanner. In some embodiments, themobile electronic device is further adapted to, in response todetermining that the mobile electronic device is located outside of theattendance region associated with the event, send, to the attendanceserver, follow-up attendance data including a time at which the mobileelectronic device is determined to have exited the attendance regionassociated with the event. In certain embodiments, the mobile electronicdevice is further adapted to conduct a registration operation includingthe following: acquiring the fingerprint of the person associated withthe mobile electronic device; and sending, to the attendance server,registration data including the following: the personal identifier ofthe person associated with the mobile electronic device; and the IMEI ofthe mobile electronic device; the attendance server further adapted togenerate the mapping of the IMEI of the mobile electronic device to thepersonal identifier of the person associated with the mobile electronicdevice in the device mapping using the personal identifier of the personassociated with the mobile electronic device and the IMEI of the mobileelectronic device of the registration data. In some embodiments, theattendance server is adapted to, send to the mobile electronic device,acknowledgement data indicative of the recording of the attendanceevent, and the mobile electronic device is further adapted to store theacknowledgement data in an attendance log stored in the memory of themobile electronic device. In certain embodiments, the mobile electronicdevice includes a cellular mobile phone. In some embodiments, the systemfurther includes a wireless network, and the mobile electronic deviceand the attendance server communicate by way of the wireless network.

Provided in some embodiments is a method of attendance verification. Themethod including acquiring, by a mobile electronic device, a fingerprintof a user of the mobile electronic device by way of a fingerprintscanner. The a mobile electronic device including the following: amemory; an international mobile equipment identity (IMEI) of the mobileelectronic device stored in the memory of the mobile electronic device;characteristics of a fingerprint of a person associated with the mobileelectronic device stored in the memory of the mobile electronic device;and the fingerprint scanner. The method further including the following:determining, by the mobile electronic device, a time and date of theacquisition of the fingerprint of the user by way of the fingerprintscanner; determining, by the mobile electronic device, a location of themobile electronic device at the time of the acquisition of thefingerprint of the user by way of the fingerprint scanner; comparing, bythe mobile electronic device, characteristics of the fingerprint of theuser acquired to the characteristics of the fingerprint of the personassociated with the mobile electronic device stored in the memory of themobile electronic device to determine whether the user is the personassociated with the mobile electronic device; and in response to themobile electronic device determining that the user is the personassociated with the mobile electronic device, sending, by the mobileelectronic device to an attendance server, attendance data including thefollowing: the IMEI of the mobile electronic device; the time and dateof the acquisition of the fingerprint of the user by way of thefingerprint scanner; and the location of the mobile electronic device atthe time of the acquisition of the fingerprint of the user by way of thefingerprint scanner. The attendance server including a device mappingincluding a mapping of international mobile equipment identities (IMEIs)to respective personal identifiers, and an attendance record including alisting of attendance events documenting attendance of persons atevents. The method further including, in response to the attendanceserver receiving the attendance data: determining, by the attendanceserver, a personal identifier of the person associated with the mobileelectronic device based on a mapping of the IMEI of the mobileelectronic device to a personal identifier of the person associated withthe mobile electronic device in the device mapping; and generating, bythe attendance server, in the attendance record, an attendance eventassociating the person associated with the mobile electronic device withat an event associated with the time and date of the acquisition of thefingerprint of the user by way of the fingerprint scanner and thelocation of the mobile electronic device at the time of the acquisitionof the fingerprint of the user by way of the fingerprint scanner, todocument attendance of the person associated with the mobile electronicdevice at the event.

In some embodiments, the mobile electronic device further includingattendance region data defining geographic extents of an attendanceregion associated with the event stored in a memory of the mobileelectronic device, the method further including determining, by themobile electronic device, whether the mobile electronic device islocated in the attendance region associated with the event, and theacquisition of the fingerprint of the user of the mobile electronicdevice by way of the fingerprint scanner being performed in response todetermining that the mobile electronic device is located in theattendance region associated with the event. In certain embodiments, themethod further includes, in response to the mobile electronic devicedetermining that the mobile electronic device is located in theattendance region associated with the event, prompting, by the mobileelectronic device, the user of the mobile electronic device to submitthe fingerprint by way of the fingerprint scanner. In some embodiments,the method further includes, in response to the mobile electronic devicedetermining that the mobile electronic device is located outside of theattendance region associated with the event, sending, by the mobileelectronic device to the attendance server, follow-up attendance dataincluding a time at which the mobile electronic device is determined tohave exited the attendance region associated with the event. In certainembodiments, the method further includes the mobile electronic deviceconducting a registration operation including the following: acquiring,by the mobile electronic device, the fingerprint of the personassociated with the mobile electronic device; and sending, by the mobileelectronic device to the attendance server, registration data includingthe personal identifier of the person associated with the mobileelectronic device and the IMEI of the mobile electronic device; and theattendance server generating the mapping of the IMEI of the mobileelectronic device to the personal identifier of the person associatedwith the mobile electronic device in the device mapping using thepersonal identifier of the person associated with the mobile electronicdevice and the IMEI of the mobile electronic device of the registrationdata. In some embodiments, the method further includes the following:sending, by the attendance server to the mobile electronic device,acknowledgement data indicative of the recording of the attendanceevent; and storing, by the mobile electronic device the acknowledgementdata in an attendance log stored in the memory of the mobile electronicdevice. In certain embodiments, the mobile electronic device is acellular mobile phone. In some embodiments, the method further includesthe mobile electronic device and the attendance server communicating byway of a wireless network.

Provided in some embodiments is a non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium having program instructions stored thereon that areexecutable by a processor to cause the operations including acquiring,by a mobile electronic device, a fingerprint of a user of the mobileelectronic device by way of a fingerprint scanner. The a mobileelectronic device including the following: a memory; an internationalmobile equipment identity (IMEI) of the mobile electronic device storedin the memory of the mobile electronic device; characteristics of afingerprint of a person associated with the mobile electronic devicestored in the memory of the mobile electronic device; and thefingerprint scanner. The operations further including the following:determining, by the mobile electronic device, a time and date of theacquisition of the fingerprint of the user by way of the fingerprintscanner; determining, by the mobile electronic device, a location of themobile electronic device at the time of the acquisition of thefingerprint of the user by way of the fingerprint scanner; comparing, bythe mobile electronic device, characteristics of the fingerprint of theuser acquired to the characteristics of the fingerprint of the personassociated with the mobile electronic device stored in the memory of themobile electronic device to determine whether the user is the personassociated with the mobile electronic device; in response to the mobileelectronic device determining that the user is the person associatedwith the mobile electronic device, sending, by the mobile electronicdevice to an attendance server, attendance data including the following:the IMEI of the mobile electronic device; the time and date of theacquisition of the fingerprint of the user by way of the fingerprintscanner; and the location of the mobile electronic device at the time ofthe acquisition of the fingerprint of the user by way of the fingerprintscanner. The attendance server including a device mapping including amapping of international mobile equipment identities (IMEIs) torespective personal identifiers, and an attendance record including alisting of attendance events documenting attendance of persons atevents. The operations further including the following, in response tothe attendance server receiving the attendance data: determining, by theattendance server, a personal identifier of the person associated withthe mobile electronic device based on a mapping of the IMEI of themobile electronic device to a personal identifier of the personassociated with the mobile electronic device in the device mapping; andgenerating, by the attendance server, in the attendance record, anattendance event associating the person associated with the mobileelectronic device with at an event associated with the time and date ofthe acquisition of the fingerprint of the user by way of the fingerprintscanner and the location of the mobile electronic device at the time ofthe acquisition of the fingerprint of the user by way of the fingerprintscanner, to document attendance of the person associated with the mobileelectronic device at the event.

In some embodiments, the mobile electronic device further includesattendance region data defining geographic extents of an attendanceregion associated with the event stored in a memory of the mobileelectronic device, the operations further include determining, by themobile electronic device, whether the mobile electronic device islocated in the attendance region associated with the event, and theacquisition of the fingerprint of the user of the mobile electronicdevice by way of the fingerprint scanner is performed in response todetermining that the mobile electronic device is located in theattendance region associated with the event. In certain embodiments, theoperations further include, in response to the mobile electronic devicedetermining that the mobile electronic device is located in theattendance region associated with the event, prompting, by the mobileelectronic device, the user of the mobile electronic device to submitthe fingerprint by way of the fingerprint scanner. In some embodiments,the operations further include, in response to the mobile electronicdevice determining that the mobile electronic device is located outsideof the attendance region associated with the event, sending, by themobile electronic device to the attendance server, follow-up attendancedata including a time at which the mobile electronic device isdetermined to have exited the attendance region associated with theevent. In certain embodiments, the operations further include, themobile electronic device conducting a registration operation includingthe following: acquiring, by the mobile electronic device, thefingerprint of the person associated with the mobile electronic device;and sending, by the mobile electronic device to the attendance server,registration data including the personal identifier of the personassociated with the mobile electronic device, and the IMEI of the mobileelectronic device, and the attendance server generating the mapping ofthe IMEI of the mobile electronic device to the personal identifier ofthe person associated with the mobile electronic device in the devicemapping using the personal identifier of the person associated with themobile electronic device and the IMEI of the mobile electronic device ofthe registration data. In some embodiments, the operations furtherinclude, sending, by the attendance server to the mobile electronicdevice, acknowledgement data indicative of the recording of theattendance event and storing, by the mobile electronic device theacknowledgement data in an attendance log stored in the memory of themobile electronic device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram that illustrates an attendance verification systemin accordance with one or more embodiments.

FIGS. 2A-2C are flowchart diagrams that illustrates a method operating amobile device to verify attendance in accordance with one or moreembodiments.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart diagram that illustrates a method operating anattendance server to record attendance in accordance with one or moreembodiments.

FIG. 4 is a diagram that illustrates an example computer system inaccordance with one or more embodiments.

While this disclosure is susceptible to various modifications andalternative forms, specific embodiments are shown by way of example inthe drawings and will be described in detail. The drawings may not be toscale. It should be understood that the drawings and the detaileddescriptions are not intended to limit the disclosure to the particularform disclosed, but are intended to disclose modifications, equivalents,and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the presentdisclosure as defined by the claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Described are embodiments of systems and methods of attendanceverification using mobile electronic devices (or “mobile devices”). Insome embodiments, a person's biometric data is acquired and verifiedlocally by a mobile device associated with the person while the mobiledevice is located in a geographic region associated with an event, andattendance data, including an indication of the verification of thebiometric data along with a unique identifier of the mobile device, suchas an international mobile equipment identity (IMEI) of the mobiledevice, is transmitted to an attendance server that makes a record ofthe person's attendance of the event based on the attendance data.

FIG. 1 is a diagram that illustrates an attendance verification system“attendance system” 100 in accordance with one or more embodiments. Inthe illustrated embodiment, the attendance system 100 includes one ormore mobile electronic devices (“mobile devices”) 102 and an attendanceserver (“server”) 104, communicatively coupled by way of acommunications network (“network”) 106. Each of the mobile devices 102may be associated with a given person 108 expected to attend an event,such as a work shift, a class or a presentation.

As described, the mobile devices 102 and the attendance server 104 mayexchange data to verify attendance of persons 108 at an event associatedwith one or more geographic areas of interest (“attendance regions”)110. For example, a mobile device 102 associated with a person 108 andlocated in an attendance region 110 associated with an event, may verifybiometric or other personal information for the person 108 at a timeassociated with the event, and transmit corresponding attendance data112, including a unique identifier of the mobile device 102, to theserver 104 by way of the network 106. The server 104 may use theattendance data 112 and a device mapping 114 stored at the server 104 toconfirm the attendance of the person 108 at the event. In someembodiments, the device mapping 114 is populated based on registrationdata 115, such as person's names and unique identifiers of associatedmobile devices 102, provided by way of the mobile devices 102 during aregistration operation. In response to confirming the attendance of theperson 108 at the event, the sever 104 may make a record of theattendance of the person 108 at the event in an attendance record 116stored at the server 104, and send attendance acknowledgement data 118to the mobile device 102 associated with the person 108. The mobiledevice 102 may store and display the attendance acknowledgement data 118for viewing by the person 108.

The network 106 can include an element or system that facilitatescommunication between the entities of the attendance system 100. Forexample, the network 106 may include an electronic communicationsnetwork, such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN),a wireless local area network (WLAN), a cellular communications network,a short range wireless communications network (e.g., a Bluetoothwireless network), the Internet, an industrial network, or the like. Insome embodiments, the network 106 includes a single network or acombination of networks. In some embodiments, the network 106 includes awireless network, such as a Wi-Fi or cellular network, that facilitatescommunication of attendance data 112 and acknowledgement data 118between the one or more mobile devices 102 and the attendance server104.

The attendance server 104 may include a computer device for processingattendance data 112 to verify attendance of persons 108 at variousevents. In some embodiments, the attendance server 104 includes acomputer device that is the same or similar to the computer system 1000described here with regard to at least FIG. 4. In some embodiments, theattendance server 104 stores or otherwise has access to a device mapping114 that can be used to verify attendance data 112 received. The devicemapping 114 may include a mapping of unique identifiers of one or moremobile devices 102 to respective personal identifiers of persons 108.The unique identifier of a mobile device 102 may include, for example,an IMEI of the mobile device 102, or a similar identifier, that can beused to uniquely identify the mobile device 102 from other mobiledevices 102. An IMEI of a cellular mobile device 102 may include anidentifier that can uniquely identify the cellular mobile device 102from other cellular devices on one or more cellular networks. An IMEI ofa mobile device 102 may be assigned to and stored in a memory of themobile device 102 (e.g., in non-volatile memory of the mobile device102, such as flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), programmableread-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM),electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM)) by amanufacture of the mobile device 102, at the time of manufacture of themobile device 102. A personal identifier of a person 108 may include,for example, a name of the person 108, an employee identifier (ID)associated with the person 108, a student ID associated with the person108, or a similar identifier that can be used to uniquely identify theperson 108 from other persons 108. The device mapping 114 may include,for example, a mapping of a first IMEI number (11111) of a first mobiledevice 102 to a name (“John Doe”) of a first person 108, a mapping of asecond IMEI number (11112) of a second mobile device 102 to a name(“Jane Smith”) of a second person 108, and so forth. In response toreceiving attendance data 112 including an IMEI number, the attendanceserver 104 may conduct a look-up of an identifier associated with theIMEI, using the device mapping 114, to identify the person 108 for whichattendance is to be recorded. For example, in response to the server 104receiving from a first mobile device 102 having an IMEI of 1111, a firstset of attendance data 112 including the IMEI of 1111, a time of 8:01am, a date of Aug. 1, 2017, and geographic coordinates of a locationwithin a first attendance region 110, the attendance server 104 mayconduct a look-up of the IMEI 1111, using the device mapping 114, toidentify John Doe as the person 108 for which attendance is to berecorded for an event associated with the first attendance region 110 at8:01 am on Aug. 1, 2017.

In some embodiments, the attendance server 104 stores or otherwise hasaccess to an attendance record 116 that can be used to record attendanceof persons 108 at various events. The attendance record 116 may includea listing of attendance events, each documenting attendance of a person108 at an event. Each attendance event may include, as a record of aperson 108 attending an event, an event identifier, a location, a time,a date, and a personal identifier. The event identifier may include aname or similar identifier of an event associated with an attendanceregion 110 including the location, and the time and date. For example,where an event “daily 8 am-5 pm shift at a first worksite” is to occurat the first worksite (e.g., at an employer facility) between the hoursof 8 am and 5 pm daily, in a first attendance region 110 defined by theextents of the first worksite, in response to the server 104 receivingfrom a first mobile device 102 (having an IMEI of 1111) a first set ofattendance data 112 including the IMEI of 1111, a time of 8:01 am, adate of Aug. 1, 2017, and a location defined by geographic coordinateswithin the first attendance region 118 defined by the extents of thefirst worksite, the attendance server 104 may conduct a look-up of theIMEI 1111, using the device mapping 114, to identify John Doe as theperson 108 for which attendance is to be recorded, and create anattendance event listing an event identifier of “daily 8 am-5 pm shiftat a first worksite”, a check-in time of “8:01 am”, a date of “Aug. 1,2017”, a location including the geographic coordinates within the firstattendance region 118, and a personal identifier of “John Doe”. Similarlistings of attendance events can be generated for each set ofattendance data 112 received by the attendance server 104. Such anattendance record 116 may enable an attendance manager, such as anemployer, to audit the attendance of persons 108 at various events.

In some embodiments, the attendance server 104 provides acknowledgementdata 118 to mobile devices 108. The acknowledgement data 118 provided toa mobile device 102 may include an acknowledgement of receipt ofcorresponding attendance data 112 from the mobile device 102, and anindication of whether the attendance sever 104 was able to verify theattendance data 112. For example, continuing with the above example, inresponse to the attendance server 104 identifying John Doe as the person108 for which attendance is to be recorded, and creating thecorresponding attendance event listing for the attendance data 112 inthe attendance record 116, the attendance sever 104 may send to thefirst mobile device 102, first acknowledgement data 118 indicatingverification of the corresponding attendance data 112 and the recordingof the event listing in the attendance record 116. The firstacknowledgement data 118 may include, for example, a statement of“Attendance of John Doe at the daily 8 am-5 pm shift at the firstworksite, at 8:01 am on Aug. 1, 2017 has been verified and recorded.” Asdescribed, the acknowledgement data 118 can be presented and storedlocally at the mobile devices 102. For example, in response to anattendance application on the first mobile device 102 receiving thefirst acknowledgement data 118, the attendance application may cause thefirst mobile device 102 to display the statement “Attendance of John Doeat the daily 8 am-5 pm shift at the first worksite, at 8:01 am on Aug.1, 2017 has been verified and recorded,” and store a record of thestatement in a memory of the first mobile device 102. In someembodiments, if communication between the attendance sever 104 and themobile device 102 is not available, the attendance server 104 may storethe acknowledgement data 118, and queue it to be sent at a later time,when communication between the attendance sever 104 and the mobiledevice 102 is available.

A mobile device 102 can include a mobile computer device that enables aperson 108 to submit proof of attendance, also referred to as anattendance “check-in”. In some embodiments, the mobile device 102includes a computer device that is the same or similar to the computersystem 1000 described here with regard to at least FIG. 4. In someembodiments, a mobile device 102 is a smart phone, a tablet computer, ora similar personal computer device. A mobile device 102 may be capableof communicating by way of a wireless network, such as Wi-Fi orcellular, and may be associated with a mobile device identifier 120 thatuniquely identifies the mobile device 102 from other mobile devices 102on the wireless network. A mobile device identifier 120 for a mobiledevice 102 may include, for example, an IMEI of the mobile device 102,or a similar identifier, that can be used to uniquely identify themobile device 102 from other mobile devices 102 on a wireless network.An IMEI of a cellular mobile device 102 may include an identifier thatcan uniquely identify the cellular mobile device 102 from other cellulardevices on one or more cellular networks. An IMEI of a mobile device 102may be assigned to and stored in a memory of the mobile device 102(e.g., in non-volatile memory of the mobile device 102, such as flashmemory, read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM),erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EEPROM)) by a manufacture of the mobiledevice 102, at the time of manufacture of the mobile device 102.

In some embodiments, a mobile device 102 includes a location module 122.The location module 122 of a mobile device 102 may be capable ofdetermining and reporting a geographic location of the mobile device102. For example, a location module 122 of a mobile device 102 mayinclude a global positioning system (GPS) sensor that is capable ofdetermining a location of the mobile device 102. The location mayinclude geographic coordinates (e.g., latitude and longitudecoordinates) of the mobile device 102. As a further example, a locationmodule 122 of a mobile device 102 may include a wireless antenna that iscapable of receiving and assessing strength of wireless signals. In suchan embodiment, the location module 122 may be able to determine alocation of the mobile device 102 based on the relative strength of thewireless signals. For example, the location module 122 may be able todetermine an approximate distance to a Wi-Fi router based on thestrength of a wireless signal from the Wi-Fi router, received at thewireless antenna of the mobile device. The location module 122 may, forexample, determine that the mobile device 102 is within a given distanceof a Wi-Fi router based on the strength of a wireless signal from theWi-Fi router being above a threshold value, or determine that the mobiledevice 102 is more than a given distance from the Wi-Fi router based onthe strength of a wireless signal from the Wi-Fi router being below athreshold value. As described, a location of the mobile device 102 at ornear a time of acquiring biometric information, such as a fingerprint ofa person 108, may be determined by the location module 122 and beprovided in attendance data 112 provided to the server 104.

In some embodiments, a mobile device 102 includes a clock module 124.The clock module 124 of a mobile device 102 may be capable ofdetermining and reporting a current time and date. As described, acurrent time and date at or near a time of acquiring biometricinformation, such as a fingerprint of a person 108, may be determined bythe clock module 124 and be provided in attendance data 112 provided tothe server 104.

In some embodiments, a mobile device 102 includes a biometrics module126. A biometrics module 126 of a mobile device 102 may be capable ofacquiring an verifying biometric data for a user of the mobile device102 locally. For example, a biometrics module 126 may include abiometrics acquisition device 128, such as a fingerprint scanner, foracquiring “candidate” biometric data 129, indicative of biometriccharacteristics of a user of the mobile device 102 such as a “candidate”fingerprint of a user of the mobile device 102, and a biometricsprocessing module 130 for comparing characteristics of the biometricdata acquired to predefined biometric data 131, such as a fingerprint orcharacteristics of a finger print of a person 130 associated with themobile device 102, that can be to verify an identity of the user. In thecontext of a biometrics module 126 including a fingerprint scannerbiometrics acquisition device 128, a user handling the mobile device 102may place their finger tip on the fingerprint scanner, the finger printscanner may acquire a fingerprint of the user, the biometrics module 126may determine characteristics of the acquired fingerprint and comparethe determined characteristics of the fingerprint of the user (e.g.,provided in the biometric data 129) to characteristics of a fingerprintof a person 108 associated with the mobile device 102 (e.g., stored inpredefined biometric data 131), to determine whether the user'sfingerprint matches the fingerprint of the person 108. In response todetermining that the user's fingerprint matches the fingerprint of theperson 108, the biometrics module 126 may verify that the user is theperson 108 associated with the mobile device 102. That is, thebiometrics module 126 may verify the identity of the user as the person108 associated with the mobile device 102. In response to determiningthat the user's fingerprint does not match the fingerprint of the person108 associated with the mobile device 102, the biometrics module 126 maydetermine that the user is not the person 108 associated with the mobiledevice 102. That is, the biometrics module 126 may not verify theidentity of the user as the person 108 associated with the mobile device102. As described, in some embodiments, the characteristics of afingerprint of a person 108 associated with the mobile device 102 aredetermined by way of a registration process, and may be stored locallyin a memory of the mobile device 102.

In some embodiments, a mobile device 102 includes attendance region data132. Attendance region data 132 stored in a memory of a mobile device102 associated with a person 108 may include data defining geographicextents of one or more attendance regions 110 in which the mobile device102 or the person 108 are expected to be located in to attend acorresponding event. In some embodiments, the attendance region data 132includes relevant timeframes for attendance in the one or moreattendance regions 110. Continuing with the above example, if John Doeis an employee of ABC corporation, Jon Doe is scheduled to work daily atthree different worksites of ABC corporation between the hours of 8 amand 5 pm daily, and John Doe's attendance is tracked at each of thethree worksites, the first mobile device 102 associated with John Doemay store or otherwise have access to attendance region data 132,including first attendance region data defining a first attendanceregion 110 defined by the geographic extents of the first worksite and atimeframe of 8 am-5 pm daily, second attendance region data defining asecond attendance region 110 defined by the geographic extents of thesecond worksite and a timeframe of 8 am-5 pm daily, and third attendanceregion data defining a third attendance region 110 defined by thegeographic extents of the third worksite and a timeframe of 8 am-5 pmdaily. As described, in some embodiments, the attendance region data 132may be used to determine when a mobile device 102 is located in anattendance region 110 in which the mobile device 102 or the person 108are expected to be located in to attend a corresponding event.

In some embodiments, a mobile device (e.g., a mobile phone) 102 havingan integrated fingerprint scanner biometrics acquisition device 128 isused to acquire a fingerprint of a person (e.g., an employee) 108 whilethe mobile device 102 is located in an attendance region (e.g., in aworksite associated with a work shift) 110, the mobile device 120conducts local processing of the fingerprint acquired to determinewhether the acquired fingerprint is consistent with a fingerprint of aperson 108 associated with the mobile device 102, and, in response todetermining that the fingerprint acquired is consistent with afingerprint of a person 108 associated with the mobile device 102, themobile device 102 sends, to the attendance server 104, attendance data112 including a unique identifier of the mobile device (e.g., an IMEInumber of the mobile device) 102 and other relevant attendanceinformation, such as a time and date associated with acquisition of thefingerprint and a location of the mobile device 102 at or near the timeof acquisition of the fingerprint. In response to receiving theattendance data 112, the attendance server 104 verifies and records theattendance of the person 108 at the event associated with the time andlocation, and sends, to the mobile device 102, acknowledgement data 118,including confirmation of attendance, which is displayed by and storedin a memory of the mobile device 102.

In some embodiments, a mobile device 102 includes an attendanceapplication 134. An attendance application 134 stored on a mobile device102 may be executed by the mobile 102 to, for example, acquire andverify biometric data for person 108, generate and transmit attendancedata 112, and receive and process acknowledgement data 118. In someembodiments, an attendance application 134 of a mobile device 102 isselectively opened. For example, a person 108 may select to launch theattendance application 134 on the mobile device 102. In an initiallaunch of the attendance application 134 on the mobile device 102, theattendance application 134 may conduct a registration operation thatdirects the person 108 to register with the attendance application. Inan registration operation, the attendance application 134 may query theperson 108 to submit personal information, such as a personal identifier(e.g., their name and employee ID), login credentials (e.g., a user IDand password used to access the attendance application 134), and querythe person 108 to submit biometric information, such as a fingerprint.The person 108 may submit the personal information by way of a keyboardof the mobile device 102 and submit their biometric information, such asa fingerprint, by way of an integrated biometrics acquisition device128, such as a fingerprint scanner, of the mobile device 102. Theattendance application 134 may store the personal information and thebiometric information, in association with one another, locally in amemory of the mobile device 102, and may transmit correspondingregistration data 115, including the personal information and a mobiledevice identifier 120 of the mobile device 102, to the attendance server104. In response to receiving the personal information for the person108, the attendance server 104 may identify one or more attendanceregions 110 associated with the person 108, and transmit attendanceregion data 132, including data defining the one or more attendanceregions 110 associated with the person 108 and respective timeframes forattendance of the person 108 in the regions 110, to the mobile device102. The attendance application 134 may store the attendance region data132 locally, in a memory of the mobile device 102.

The attendance application 134 may monitor a geographic location of themobile device 102 determined by the location module 122 to determinewhether the mobile device 102 is located in one of the one or moreattendance regions 110 associated with the person 108 during anassociated timeframe for attendance of the person 108 in the region 110.In response to determining that the mobile device 102 is located in anattendance region 110 associated with the person 108 during a timeframefor attendance of the person 108 in the region 110, the attendanceapplication 134 may query a current user of the mobile device 102 tosubmit biometric information, such as a fingerprint, to verify whetherthe user is the person 108 associated with the mobile device 102 by wayof the registration process. In response to receiving biometricinformation of the user by way of the biometrics acquisition device 128of the mobile device 102, such as a fingerprint of the user acquired byway of an integrated fingerprint scanner of the mobile device 102, thebiometrics module 126 may determine whether the user is the person 108associated with the mobile device 102, for example, by comparing theacquired fingerprint of the user to the fingerprint obtained for theperson 108 during the registration operation. In response to thebiometrics module 126 determining that the user is the person 108associated with the mobile device 102, the attendance application 134may assemble corresponding attendance data 112. The attendance data 112may include, for example, a time and date associated with acquisition ofthe biometric information (e.g., a time and date of 8:01 am, Aug. 1,2017, corresponding to a time at which the fingerprint was acquired, andobtained from the clock module 124), a location of the mobile device 102at or near the time of acquisition of the biometric information (e.g.,latitude and longitude coordinates of the mobile device 102 at or nearthe time and date at which the fingerprint was acquired, and obtainedfrom the location module 122), and the mobile device identifier 120 ofthe mobile device 102 (e.g., an IMEI number of the mobile device 102retrieved from a memory of the mobile device 102). In some embodiments,if communication between the mobile device 102 and the attendance sever104 is not available, the mobile device 102 may store the attendancedata 112 locally, and queue it to be sent at a later time whencommunication between the mobile device 102 and the attendance sever 104is available. As described, the attendance server 104 may process theattendance data 112 and provide corresponding acknowledgement data 118.The attendance application 134 may, in response to receiving theacknowledgement data 118, display the acknowledgement data 118 and storeit in an attendance log 138 in a memory of the mobile device 102. Theattendance log 138 of a mobile device 102 may include a record of theattendance data 112 transmitted by the mobile device 102 and theacknowledgement data 118 received by the mobile device 102.

FIGS. 2A-2B are flowchart diagrams that illustrates a method 200operating a mobile device 102 to verify attendance in accordance withone or more embodiments. In some embodiments, the method includeslaunching an attendance application 134 on the mobile device 102 (block202). This can include a person 108 selecting to open the attendanceapplication 134 on the mobile device 102. For example, the mobile device102 may launch the attendance application 134 in response to a person108, John Doe, selecting to open the attendance application 134 by wayof a user interface of the mobile device 102. Once opened, theattendance application 134 may cause the mobile device 102 to prompt theperson 108 to submit login credentials or select to register with theattendance verification system 100 (block 204).

In response to receiving a selection to register with the attendanceverification system 100 (block 206), the attendance application 134 maycause the mobile device 102 to prompt the person 108 to submit personalinformation, such as a personal identifier (e.g., their name or employeeID), and login credentials (e.g., user ID and password) used to accessthe attendance application 134) (block 207). For example, the person 108John Doe may submit his personal information, including the name “JohnDoe” or employee ID “ABC119”) and login credentials including a user ID“jdoe” and password “jd123” by way of a keyboard or similar userinterface of the mobile device 102.

In response to receiving the personal information (block 208), theattendance application 134 may cause the mobile device 102 to prompt theperson 108 to submit biometric information, such as a fingerprint (block210). The person 108 may submit their fingerprint by way of anintegrated fingerprint scanner biometrics acquisition device 128 of themobile device 102. For example, the person 108 John Doe may place hisfingertip on the fingerprint scanner biometrics acquisition device 128of the mobile device 102 to submit his fingerprint.

In response to receiving the biometric information (block 212), theattendance application 134 may cause the mobile device 102 to store thepersonal information for the person 108 and the biometric informationfor the person 108, in association with one another, locally in a memoryof the mobile device 102 (block 214) and to transmit registration data115, including some or all of the personal information and a mobiledevice identifier 120 (IMEI of “1111”) of the mobile device 102, to theattendance server 104 (block 216). For example, the mobile device 102(having a mobile device identifier 120 IMEI of “1111”) may store JohnDoe's personal information, (e.g., including the name “John Doe” or theemployee ID “ABC119”) and login credentials (e.g., including the user ID“jdoe” and the password “jd123”) in a memory of the mobile device 102,and send John Doe's registration data 115 (e.g., including the name“John Doe” or the employee ID “ABC119” and the mobile device identifier120 IMEI of “1111”) to the attendance server 104. As described, theattendance server 104 may store or otherwise make a record of theregistration data 115, including the personal information for the person108 received and the mobile device identifier 120 of the mobile device102. The attendance server 104 may, for example, generate acorresponding entry in the device mapping 114, mapping the employee name“John Doe” to the IMEI of “1111”. This may complete the registration ofthe person 108 with the attendance verification system 100.

In response to receiving a selection to login with the attendanceverification system 100 (block 218), the attendance application 134 maycause the mobile device 102 to prompt the person 108 to submit logininformation, such as login credentials used to access the attendanceapplication 134) (block 219). In response to the person 108 submittinglogin credentials (block 220), the attendance application 134 may causethe mobile device 102 to verify the login credential (block 221). Forexample, in response to the person 108 John Doe selecting to login, andsubmitting the user ID “jdoe” and the password “jd123”, the attendanceapplication 134 may cause the mobile device 102 to verify the logincredentials.

In response to the person 108 completing registration with theattendance verification system 100 (block 216), or the login credentialsof the person 108 being verified (block 221), the attendance application134 may proceed to cause the mobile device 102 to query the attendanceserver 104 for attendance region data 132 for the person 108 (block222). The attendance region data 132 may define one or more attendanceregions 110 associated with the person 108, respective timeframes forattendance of the person 108 in the attendance regions 110, andcorresponding check-in intervals for the attendance regions 110. Forexample, the attendance region data 132 for the person 108 John Doe mayinclude a first subset of attendance region data 132 defining a firstattendance region 110 including a geographic area of a first worksiteand defining a first attendance timeframe of 8 am-5 pm daily (e.g.,corresponding to a first of two facilities John Doe is scheduled to workat each day) and a 1 hour check-in interval; a second subset ofattendance data region data 132 defining a second attendance region 110including a geographic area of a second worksite and defining a secondattendance timeframe of 8 am-5 pm daily (e.g., corresponding to a secondof two facilities John Doe is scheduled to work at each day) and a 1hour check-in interval; and a third subset of attendance data regiondata 132 defining a third attendance region 110 including a geographicarea of a classroom and defining a third attendance timeframe of 8 am-1pm on Aug. 2, 2017 (e.g., corresponding to a training class John Doe isscheduled to attend) and a 4 hour check-in interval. In response to themobile device 102 receiving the attendance region data 132 (block 223),the attendance application 134 may cause the mobile device 102 to storethe attendance region data 132 in a local memory of the mobile device102 (block 224).

The attendance application 134 may proceed to causing the mobile device102 to monitor the location of the mobile device 102 (block 225) (seeFIG. 2B). Monitoring the location of the mobile device 102 may includeregularly (e.g., once per minute) querying the location module 122 for acurrent geographic location of the mobile device 102 and comparing thecurrent geographic location of the mobile device 102 with the areas ofthe attendance regions 110 of the attendance region data 132 stored inthe memory of the mobile device 102. In response to determining that themobile device 102 is located in an area of an attendance region 110 ofthe attendance region data 132 (block 226), the attendance application134 may cause the mobile device 102 to determine whether the currenttime is within the attendance timeframe specified for the attendanceregion 110 (block 227). This can include querying the clock module 124of the mobile device 102 for the current time. In response todetermining that the current time is within the attendance timeframespecified for the attendance region 110, the attendance application 134may cause the mobile device 102 to determine, based on the attendancelog 138, whether the person 108 has previously checked-in at theattendance region 110 (block 228). In response to determining that theperson 108 has previously checked-in at the attendance region 110, theattendance application 134 may cause the mobile device 102 to determine,based on the attendance log 138, an elapsed time since the last check-inof the person 108 at the attendance region 110 and compare the elapsedtime to a predefined check-in interval (e.g., 1 hour check-in interval)for the attendance region 110 to determine whether the person 108 hasnot checked-in within the check-in interval for the attendance region110 (e.g., has not checked-in within the last 1 hour) (block 230). Inresponse to determining that the person 108 has not previouslychecked-in at the attendance region 110 or the person 108 has notchecked-in within the check-in interval for the attendance region 110,the attendance application 134 may cause the mobile device 102 to promptthe person 108 using the mobile device 102 to check-in (block 232).Prompting the person 108 to check-in can include the mobile device 102displaying a prompt requesting that the person 108 submit theirbiometric information, such as a displayed or audible prompt stating“Please scan your fingerprint to verify your attendance.”

In response to the mobile device 102 receiving biometric data for theperson 108 by way of the biometrics acquisition device 128 of the mobiledevice 102 (block 234), the attendance application 134 may cause themobile device 102 to compare characteristics of the biometric datareceived to characteristics of the biometric data acquired from theperson 108 during the registration process and stored locally on themobile device 102, to verify an identity of the person 108 for whichbiometric data is received (block 236). This may include, for example,receiving a finger print for the person 108 by way of a fingerprintscanner of the mobile device 102, and in response to receiving thefingerprint, comparing characteristics of the fingerprint tocharacteristics of the registered fingerprint for the person 108 JohnDoe obtained during the registration process and stored locally on themobile device 102, to determine whether the fingerprints match. If thefingerprints do match it can be determined that the acquired fingerprint is that of the person 108 (e.g., John Doe) registered with themobile device 102, and the person attempting to check-in is the person108 registered with the mobile device 102. If the fingerprints do notmatch it can be determined that the acquired finger print is not that ofthe person 108 registered with the mobile device 102, and the personattempting to check-in is not the person 108 registered with the mobiledevice 102.

In response to the attendance application 134 verifying an identity ofthe person 108 for which biometric data is received (and determiningthat communication with the attendance server 104 is available (block238)), the attendance application 134 may cause the mobile device 102 totransmit corresponding attendance data 112 to the server 104 by way ofthe network 106 (block 240). The attendance data 112 may include a time,date, location associated with the submission of the biometricinformation, and a unique identifier of the mobile device 102. Forexample, if the attendance application 134 verifies an identity of theperson 108 John Doe by way of his submission of his fingerprint usingthe biometrics acquisition device 128 of the mobile device 102 having anIMEI of “1111” at 8:01 am on Aug. 1, 2017, the attendance application134 may cause the mobile device 102 to transmit corresponding attendancedata 112, including the check-in time of “8:01 am”, the date of “Aug. 1,2017”, an indication of the attendance region (e.g., “first attendanceregion” or the geographic coordinates of the location of the mobiledevice 102 at the time the fingerprint is acquired) and the IMEI of“1111”, to the server 104 by way of the network 106. As described, theattendance server 104 may use the attendance data 112 to update theoverall attendance record 116. In some embodiments, if communicationbetween the mobile device 102 and the attendance sever 104 is notavailable, the attendance application 134 may cause the mobile device102 to store the attendance data 112 locally, in a memory of the mobiledevice 102 (block 242), and send it at a later time when communicationbetween the mobile device 102 and the attendance sever 104 is available.

In response to transmitting the corresponding attendance data 112 to theserver 104, the attendance application 134 may cause the mobile device102 to monitor communications from the attendance server 104 forcorresponding acknowledgement data 118 (block 241) (See FIG. 2C). Theacknowledgement data 118 may include an acknowledgement of receipt ofcorresponding attendance data 112 from the mobile device 102 and anindication of whether the attendance sever 104 was able to verify theattendance data 112. Continuing with the above example, in response tothe attendance server 104 identifying John Doe as the person 108 forwhich attendance at the first attendance region 110 (corresponding tothe first worksite John Doe is scheduled to work at each day) at 8:01 amon Aug. 1, 2017 is to be recorded, the attendance sever 104 may send tothe first mobile device 102 (associated with John Doe and having theIMEI of “1111”), first acknowledgement data 118 indicating verificationof the attendance data 112. The first acknowledgement data 118 mayinclude, for example, a statement of “Attendance of John Doe at thedaily 8 am-5 pm shift at the first worksite, at 8:01 am on Aug. 1, 2017has been verified and recorded.”

In response to the attendance application 134 determining that themobile device 102 has received corresponding acknowledgement data 118(block 242), the attendance application 134 may cause the mobile device102 to present an indication of the acknowledgement data 118 (block 243)and store the acknowledgement data 118 locally, in a memory of themobile device 102 (block 244). For example, in response to theattendance application 134 on the first mobile device 102 receiving thefirst acknowledgement data 118 confirming the attendance of John Doe atthe first worksite, the attendance application 134 may cause the firstmobile device 102 to display the statement “Attendance of John Doe atthe daily 8 am-5 pm shift at the first worksite, at 8:01 am on Aug. 1,2017 has been verified and recorded,” and store a record of thestatement in the attendance log 138 of the first mobile device 102.

In some embodiments, the attendance application 134 may monitor ageographic location of the mobile device 102 determined by the locationmodule 122 to determine whether the mobile device 102 exits or isotherwise no longer located in the attendance region 110 (block 246). Inresponse to determining that the mobile device 102 exits or is otherwiseno longer located in the attendance region 110 (block 248) (anddetermining that communication with the attendance server 104 isavailable (block 250)), the attendance application 134 may cause themobile device 102 to transmit corresponding follow-up attendance data112 to the server 104 by way of the network 106 (block 252). Thefollow-up attendance data 112 may indicate a time at which the mobiledevice 102 exits or is otherwise no longer located in the attendanceregion 110. Continuing with the above example, if John Doe leaves thefirst worksite at 5:05 pm on Aug. 1, 2017, after completing his shift atthe first worksite defined by the first attendance region 110, and theattendance application 134 determines that John Does has exited thefirst attendance region 110 based on a current location provided by thelocation module 122 being outside of the bounds of the first attendanceregion 110, then the attendance application 134 may determine that thefirst mobile device 102 having an IMEI of “1111” has exited or isotherwise no longer located in the attendance region 110 and cause themobile device 102 to transmit corresponding follow-up attendance data112, including the time of “5:05 pm”, the date of “Aug. 1, 2017”, anindication of the exit from attendance region (e.g., “exit firstattendance region” or the geographic coordinates of the location of thefirst mobile device at the time of the exit from the first attendanceregion) and the IMEI of “1111”, to the server 104 by way of the network106. As described, the attendance server 104 may use the attendance data112 to update the overall attendance record 116. In some embodiments, ifcommunication between the mobile device 102 and the attendance sever 104is not available, the attendance application 134 may cause the mobiledevice 102 to store the follow-up attendance data 112 locally (block254), and send it at a later time when communication between the mobiledevice 102 and the attendance sever 104 is available. In response todetermining that the mobile device 102 exits or is otherwise no longerlocated in the attendance region 110 (block 248), the attendanceapplication 134 may cause the mobile device 102 to return to monitoringthe location of the mobile device 102 (block 225) (see FIG. 2B).

In response to determining that the mobile device 102 remains located inthe attendance region 110 (block 248), the attendance application 134may cause the mobile device 102 to determine, based on the attendancelog 138 of the mobile device, an elapsed time since the last check-in ofthe person 108 at the attendance region 110 (block 256) and to comparethe elapsed time to a predefined check-in interval (e.g., 1 hour) forthe attendance region 110 (e.g., defined by the attendance region data132 for the attendance region 110) to determine whether the person 108has checked-in within the check-in interval for the attendance region110 (block 258). In response to determining that the person 108 has notchecked-in within the check-in interval for the attendance region 110,the attendance application 134 may cause the mobile device 102 toconduct a check-in operation, including returning to prompting theperson 108 to check-in (block 232) (see FIG. 2B). For example, if theattendance log 138 of the first mobile device 102 indicates that JohnDoe checked in at 8:01 am, the clock module 124 of the mobile device 102indicates that the current time is 9:01 am, and the attendance regiondata 132 on the mobile device 102 indicates a check-in interval of 1hour for the first worksite defined by the first attendance region 110,then the attendance application 134 may cause the mobile device 102 todetermine, based on the attendance log 138 of the mobile device, anelapsed time of one hour since the last check-in of John Doe at thefirst worksite defined by the first attendance region 110, and may causethe mobile device 102 to perform a check-in operation at 9:01 am,including prompting John Doe to check-in again. A similar re-check-inprocess may be repeated at 10:01 am, 11:01 am and so forth, until theend of John Doe's shift at 5 pm. In response to determining that theperson 108 has checked-in within the check-in interval for theattendance region 110, the attendance application 134 may cause themobile device 102 to return to monitoring a geographic location of themobile device 102 determined by the location module 122 to determinewhether the mobile device 102 exits or is otherwise no longer located inthe attendance region 110 (block 246).

FIG. 3 is a flowchart diagram that illustrates a method 300 operatingthe attendance server 104 to verify and record attendance in accordancewith one or more embodiments. In some embodiments, the method 300includes monitoring for the receipt of registration data 115 orattendance data 112 from one or more mobile devices 104 (block 302).

In response to receiving registration data 115 (block 304), theattendance server 104 may update the device mapping 114 to reflect theregistration data 115 received (block 306). For example, in response toreceiving from the first mobile device 102, registration data 115including personal information, including the name “John Doe” andemployee ID “ABC119”, and a unique identifier of the mobile device 102,including the IMEI “1111” for the first device 102, the attendanceserver 104 may generate an entry in the device mapping 114 that relates(or “maps”) one or both of the name “John Doe” and employee ID “ABC119”to the IMEI “1111”. As described, such a mapping can be used to lookupthe personal information based on the unique identifier of the mobiledevice 102, or vice versa.

In response to receiving attendance data 112 (block 308), the attendanceserver 104 may verify the existence of a mapping associated with theunique mobile device identifier of the attendance data 112 (block 310).This can include determining whether the device mapping 114 includes amapping of the unique mobile device indicator to the personalinformation. For example, if the attendance data 112 received includesthe check-in time of “8:01 am”, the date of “Aug. 1, 2017”, anindication of the first attendance region (e.g., “first attendanceregion” or the geographic coordinates of the location of the firstmobile device 102 indicating the mobile device 102 is located in firstattendance region 110 at the time the fingerprint is acquired) and theIMEI of “1111”, the attendance server 104 may determine whether thedevice mapping 114 includes a mapping of the IMEI “1111” to personalinformation, such as that for John Doe. As a further example, iffollow-up attendance data 112 received includes the time of “5:01 pm”,the date of “Aug. 1, 2017”, an indication of a location outside of thefirst attendance region (e.g., “exited first attendance region” or thegeographic coordinates of the location of the first mobile device 102indicating the mobile device 102 is located outside the first attendanceregion 110) and the IMEI of “1111”, the attendance server 104 maydetermine whether the device mapping 114 includes a mapping of the IMEI“1111” to personal information, such as that for John Doe.

In response to verifying the existence of a mapping associated with theunique mobile device indicator of the attendance data 112 (e.g.,determining that the device mapping 114 includes a mapping of the IMEI“1111” to personal information, such as that for John Doe), theattendance server 104 may proceed to updating an attendance record forthe person 108 corresponding to the personal information mapped to theunique mobile device identifier (block 312). This can include, forexample, updating an attendance record for the person 108 correspondingto the personal information mapped to the unique mobile deviceidentifier to indicate attendance of the person 108 in an attendanceregion 110. Continuing with the above example relating to the initialattendance data 112, the attendance server 104 may use the attendancedata 112 to update the overall attendance record 116 to include anattendance event listing an event identifier of “daily 8 am-5 pm shiftat a first worksite”, a check-in time of “8:01 am”, a date of “Aug. 1,2017”, a location (indication of the first attendance region (e.g.,“first attendance region” or the geographic coordinates of the locationof the first mobile device 102 indicating the mobile device 102 islocated in first attendance region 110) and the personal identifier of“John Doe” mapped to the IMEI “1111”. As a further example, continuingwith the above example relating to follow-up attendance data 112, theattendance server 104 may use the attendance data 112 to update theattendance event listing an event identifier of “daily 8 am-5 pm shiftat a first worksite” to include a check-out time of “5:01 pm”, check-outdate of “Aug. 1, 2017”, a check-out location (e.g., “outside firstattendance region” or the geographic coordinates of the location of thefirst mobile device 102 indicating the mobile device 102 is locatedoutside of the first attendance region 110). Similar listings ofattendance events can be generated for the sets of attendance data 112received by the attendance server 104. Such an attendance record 116 mayenable an attendance manager, such as an employer, to audit theattendance of persons 108 at various events.

In response to updating an attendance record for a person 108corresponding to the personal information mapped to the unique mobiledevice identifier (and determining that communication with the mobiledevice 102 is available (block 313)), the attendance server 104 mayproceed to transmit acknowledgement data 118 to the mobile device 102(block 314). The acknowledgement data 118 provided to a mobile device102 may include an acknowledgement of receipt of attendance data 112from the mobile device 102 and an indication of whether the attendancesever 104 was able to verify the attendance data 112. Continuing withthe above example, in response to the attendance server 104 identifyingJohn Doe as the person 108 for which attendance is to be recorded, andcreating the attendance event listing for the attendance data 112, theattendance sever 104 may send to the first mobile device 102, firstacknowledgement data 118 indicating verification of the attendance data112 and the recording of the listings of attendance. The firstacknowledgement data 118 may include, for example, a statement of“Attendance of John Doe at the daily 8 am-5 pm shift at the firstworksite, at 8:01 am on Aug. 1, 2017 has been verified and recorded.”Follow-up first acknowledgement data 118 may include, for example, astatement of “Attendance of John Doe at the daily 8 am-5 pm shift at thefirst worksite from 8:01 am to 5:01 pm on Aug. 1, 2017 has been verifiedand recorded.” As described, the acknowledgement data 118 may presentedand stored at the mobile devices 102. In some embodiments, ifcommunication between the attendance sever 104 and the mobile device 102and is not available, the attendance server 104 may store theacknowledgement data 118 locally, in a memory of the attendance server104 (block 316), and send it at a later time when communication betweenthe mobile device 102 and the attendance sever 104 is available.

FIG. 4 is a diagram that illustrates an example computer system 1000 inaccordance with one or more embodiments. In some embodiments, the system1000 may be a programmable logic controller (PLC). The system 1000 mayinclude a memory 1004, a processor 1006, and an input/output (I/O)interface 1008. The memory 1004 may include non-volatile memory (e.g.,flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory(PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electricallyerasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM)), volatile memory (e.g.,random access memory (RAM), static random access memory (SRAM),synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM)), bulk storage memory (e.g., CD-ROM orDVD-ROM, hard drives), or the like. The memory 1004 may include anon-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing programinstructions 1010. The program instructions 1010 may include programmodules 1012 that are executable by a computer processor (e.g., theprocessor 1006) to cause the functional operations described here,including those described with regard to the attendance verificationsystem 100, the mobile device 102, the attendance application 134, theattendance server 104, the method 200 or the method 300.

The processor 1006 may be any suitable processor capable of executingprogram instructions. The processor 1006 may include a centralprocessing unit (CPU) that carries out program instructions (e.g., theprogram instructions of the program module(s) 1012) to perform thearithmetical, logical, and input/output operations described here. Theprocessor 1006 may include one or more processors. The I/O interface1008 may provide an interface for communication with one or more I/Odevices 1014, such as a joystick, a computer mouse, a keyboard, adisplay screen (e.g., an electronic display for displaying a graphicaluser interface (GUI)), or the like. The I/O devices 1014 may include oneor more of the user input devices. The I/O devices 1014 may be connectedto the I/O interface 1008 by way of a wired (e.g., Industrial Ethernet)or a wireless (e.g., Wi-Fi) connection. The I/O interface 1008 mayprovide an interface for communication with one or more external devices1016, such as other computers, networks, or the like. In someembodiments, the I/O interface 1008 may include an antenna, atransceiver, or the like. In some embodiments, the external devices 1016may include a mobile device, a wireless network access point (e.g., acellular access point or Wi-Fi access point), or a sever.

Further modifications and alternative embodiments of various aspects ofthe disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view ofthis description. Accordingly, this description is to be construed asillustrative only and is for the purpose of teaching those skilled inthe art the general manner of carrying out the embodiments. It is to beunderstood that the forms of the embodiments shown and described hereare to be taken as examples of embodiments. Elements and materials maybe substituted for those illustrated and described here, parts andprocesses may be reversed or omitted, and certain features of theembodiments may be utilized independently, all as would be apparent toone skilled in the art after having the benefit of this description ofthe embodiments. Changes may be made in the elements described herewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the embodiments asdescribed in the following claims. Headings used here are fororganizational purposes only and are not meant to be used to limit thescope of the description.

It will be appreciated that the processes and methods described here areexample embodiments of processes and methods that may be employed inaccordance with the techniques described. The processes and methods maybe modified to facilitate variations of their implementation and use.The order of the processes and methods and the operations provided maybe changed, and various elements may be added, reordered, combined,omitted, modified, etc. Portions of the processes and methods may beimplemented in software, hardware, or a combination thereof. Some or allof the portions of the processes and methods may be implemented by oneor more of the processors, modules, or applications described here.

As used throughout this application, the word “may” is used in apermissive sense (such as, meaning having the potential to), rather thanthe mandatory sense (such as, meaning must). The words “include,”“including,” and “includes” mean including, but not limited to. As usedthroughout this application, the singular forms “a”, “an,” and “the”include plural referents unless the content clearly indicates otherwise.Thus, for example, reference to “an element” may include a combinationof two or more elements. As used throughout this application, the phrase“based on” does not limit the associated operation to being solely basedon a particular item. Thus, for example, processing “based on” data Amay include processing based at least in part on data A and based atleast in part on data B unless the content clearly indicates otherwise.As used throughout this application, the term “from” does not limit theassociated operation to being directly from. Thus, for example,receiving an item “from” an entity may include receiving an itemdirectly from the entity or indirectly from the entity (e.g., by way ofan intermediary entity). Unless specifically stated otherwise, asapparent from the discussion, it is appreciated that throughout thisspecification discussions utilizing terms such as “processing,”“computing,” “calculating,” “determining,” or the like refer to actionsor processes of a specific apparatus, such as a special purpose computeror a similar special purpose electronic processing/computing device. Inthe context of this specification, a special purpose computer or asimilar special purpose electronic processing/computing device iscapable of manipulating or transforming signals, typically representedas physical, electronic or magnetic quantities within memories,registers, or other information storage devices, transmission devices,or display devices of the special purpose computer or similar specialpurpose electronic processing/computing device.

What is claimed is:
 1. An attendance verification system comprising: anattendance server comprising: a device mapping comprising a mapping ofinternational mobile equipment identities (IMEIs) to respective personalidentifiers; and an attendance record comprising a listing of attendanceevents documenting attendance of persons at events; and a mobileelectronic device comprising: a memory, an international mobileequipment identity (IMEI) of the mobile electronic device stored in thememory of the mobile electronic device, and characteristics of afingerprint of a person associated with the mobile electronic devicestored in the memory of the mobile electronic device; and a fingerprintscanner, the mobile electronic device configured to: acquire afingerprint of a user of the mobile electronic device by way of thefingerprint scanner; determine a time and date of the acquisition of thefingerprint of the user by way of the fingerprint scanner; determine alocation of the mobile electronic device at the time of the acquisitionof the fingerprint of the user by way of the fingerprint scanner;compare characteristics of the fingerprint of the user acquired to thecharacteristics of the fingerprint of the person associated with themobile electronic device stored in the memory of the mobile electronicdevice to determine whether the user is the person associated with themobile electronic device; and in response to determining that the useris the person associated with the mobile electronic device, send to theattendance server, attendance data comprising: the IMEI of the mobileelectronic device; the time and date of the acquisition of thefingerprint of the user by way of the fingerprint scanner; and thelocation of the mobile electronic device at the time of the acquisitionof the fingerprint of the user by way of the fingerprint scanner, andthe attendance server configured to: in response to receiving theattendance data: determine a personal identifier of the personassociated with the mobile electronic device based on a mapping of theIMEI of the mobile electronic device to a personal identifier of theperson associated with the mobile electronic device in the devicemapping; generate, in the attendance record, an attendance eventassociating the person associated with the mobile electronic device withat an event associated with the time and date of the acquisition of thefingerprint of the user by way of the fingerprint scanner and thelocation of the mobile electronic device at the time of the acquisitionof the fingerprint of the user by way of the fingerprint scanner, todocument attendance of the person associated with the mobile electronicdevice at the event; and send to the mobile electronic device,acknowledgement data indicative of the recording of the attendanceevent, and the mobile electronic device is further configured to storethe acknowledgement data in an attendance log stored in the memory ofthe mobile electronic device.
 2. The system of claim 1, the mobileelectronic device further comprising attendance region data defininggeographic extents of an attendance region associated with the eventstored in a memory of the mobile electronic device, wherein the mobileelectronic device is further configured to determine whether the mobileelectronic device is located in the attendance region associated withthe event, and wherein the acquisition of the fingerprint of the user ofthe mobile electronic device by way of the fingerprint scanner isperformed in response to determining that the mobile electronic deviceis located in the attendance region associated with the event.
 3. Thesystem of claim 2, wherein the mobile electronic device is furtherconfigured to, in response to determining that the mobile electronicdevice is located in the attendance region associated with the event,prompt the user of the mobile electronic device to submit thefingerprint by way of the fingerprint scanner.
 4. The system of claim 2,wherein the mobile electronic device is further configured to, inresponse to determining that the mobile electronic device is locatedoutside of the attendance region associated with the event, send, to theattendance server, follow-up attendance data comprising a time at whichthe mobile electronic device is determined to have exited the attendanceregion associated with the event.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein themobile electronic device is further configured to conduct a registrationoperation comprising: acquiring the fingerprint of the person associatedwith the mobile electronic device; and sending, to the attendanceserver, registration data comprising: the personal identifier of theperson associated with the mobile electronic device; and the IMEI of themobile electronic device, and wherein the attendance server is furtherconfigured to generate the mapping of the IMEI of the mobile electronicdevice to the personal identifier of the person associated with themobile electronic device in the device mapping using the personalidentifier of the person associated with the mobile electronic deviceand the IMEI of the mobile electronic device of the registration data.6. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile electronic device comprisesa cellular mobile phone.
 7. The system of claim 1, further comprising awireless network, wherein the mobile electronic device and theattendance server communicate by way of the wireless network.
 8. Amethod of attendance verification comprising: acquiring, by a mobileelectronic device, a fingerprint of a user of the mobile electronicdevice by way of a fingerprint scanner, the a mobile electronic devicecomprising: a memory, an international mobile equipment identity (IMEI)of the mobile electronic device stored in the memory of the mobileelectronic device, and characteristics of a fingerprint of a personassociated with the mobile electronic device stored in the memory of themobile electronic device; and the fingerprint scanner; determining, bythe mobile electronic device, a time and date of the acquisition of thefingerprint of the user by way of the fingerprint scanner; determining,by the mobile electronic device, a location of the mobile electronicdevice at the time of the acquisition of the fingerprint of the user byway of the fingerprint scanner; comparing, by the mobile electronicdevice, characteristics of the fingerprint of the user acquired to thecharacteristics of the fingerprint of the person associated with themobile electronic device stored in the memory of the mobile electronicdevice to determine whether the user is the person associated with themobile electronic device; in response to the mobile electronic devicedetermining that the user is the person associated with the mobileelectronic device, sending, by the mobile electronic device to anattendance server, attendance data comprising: the IMEI of the mobileelectronic device; the time and date of the acquisition of thefingerprint of the user by way of the fingerprint scanner; and thelocation of the mobile electronic device at the time of the acquisitionof the fingerprint of the user by way of the fingerprint scanner, theattendance server comprising: a device mapping comprising a mapping ofinternational mobile equipment identities (IMEIs) to respective personalidentifiers; and an attendance record comprising a listing of attendanceevents documenting attendance of persons at events; and in response tothe attendance server receiving the attendance data: determining, by theattendance server, a personal identifier of the person associated withthe mobile electronic device based on a mapping of the IMEI of themobile electronic device to a personal identifier of the personassociated with the mobile electronic device in the device mapping; andgenerating, by the attendance server, in the attendance record, anattendance event associating the person associated with the mobileelectronic device with at an event associated with the time and date ofthe acquisition of the fingerprint of the user by way of the fingerprintscanner and the location of the mobile electronic device at the time ofthe acquisition of the fingerprint of the user by way of the fingerprintscanner, to document attendance of the person associated with the mobileelectronic device at the event; and sending, by the attendance server tothe mobile electronic device, acknowledgement data indicative of therecording of the attendance event; and storing, by the mobile electronicdevice, the acknowledgement data in an attendance log stored in thememory of the mobile electronic device.
 9. The method of claim 8, themobile electronic device further comprising attendance region datadefining geographic extents of an attendance region associated with theevent stored in a memory of the mobile electronic device, the methodfurther comprising determining, by the mobile electronic device, whetherthe mobile electronic device is located in the attendance regionassociated with the event, and the acquisition of the fingerprint of theuser of the mobile electronic device by way of the fingerprint scanneris performed in response to determining that the mobile electronicdevice is located in the attendance region associated with the event.10. The method of claim 9, further comprising, in response to the mobileelectronic device determining that the mobile electronic device islocated in the attendance region associated with the event, prompting,by the mobile electronic device, the user of the mobile electronicdevice to submit the fingerprint by way of the fingerprint scanner. 11.The method of claim 9, further comprising, in response to the mobileelectronic device determining that the mobile electronic device islocated outside of the attendance region associated with the event,sending, by the mobile electronic device to the attendance server,follow-up attendance data comprising a time at which the mobileelectronic device is determined to have exited the attendance regionassociated with the event.
 12. The method of claim 8, furthercomprising: the mobile electronic device conducting a registrationoperation comprising: acquiring, by the mobile electronic device, thefingerprint of the person associated with the mobile electronic device;and sending, by the mobile electronic device to the attendance server,registration data comprising: the personal identifier of the personassociated with the mobile electronic device; and the IMEI of the mobileelectronic device; and the attendance server generating the mapping ofthe IMEI of the mobile electronic device to the personal identifier ofthe person associated with the mobile electronic device in the devicemapping using the personal identifier of the person associated with themobile electronic device and the IMEI of the mobile electronic device ofthe registration data.
 13. The method of claim 8, wherein the mobileelectronic device comprises a cellular mobile phone.
 14. The method ofclaim 8, wherein the mobile electronic device and the attendance servercommunicate by way of a wireless network.
 15. A non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium comprising program instructions storedthereon that are executable by a processor to cause the followingoperations: acquiring, by a mobile electronic device, a fingerprint of auser of the mobile electronic device by way of a fingerprint scanner,the a mobile electronic device comprising: a memory, an internationalmobile equipment identity (IMEI) of the mobile electronic device storedin the memory of the mobile electronic device, and characteristics of afingerprint of a person associated with the mobile electronic devicestored in the memory of the mobile electronic device; and thefingerprint scanner; determining, by the mobile electronic device, atime and date of the acquisition of the fingerprint of the user by wayof the fingerprint scanner; determining, by the mobile electronicdevice, a location of the mobile electronic device at the time of theacquisition of the fingerprint of the user by way of the fingerprintscanner; comparing, by the mobile electronic device, characteristics ofthe fingerprint of the user acquired to the characteristics of thefingerprint of the person associated with the mobile electronic devicestored in the memory of the mobile electronic device to determinewhether the user is the person associated with the mobile electronicdevice; in response to the mobile electronic device determining that theuser is the person associated with the mobile electronic device,sending, by the mobile electronic device to an attendance server,attendance data comprising: the IMEI of the mobile electronic device;the time and date of the acquisition of the fingerprint of the user byway of the fingerprint scanner; and the location of the mobileelectronic device at the time of the acquisition of the fingerprint ofthe user by way of the fingerprint scanner, the attendance servercomprising: a device mapping comprising a mapping of internationalmobile equipment identities (IMEIs) to respective personal identifiers;and an attendance record comprising a listing of attendance eventsdocumenting attendance of persons at events; and in response to theattendance server receiving the attendance data: determining, by theattendance server, a personal identifier of the person associated withthe mobile electronic device based on a mapping of the IMEI of themobile electronic device to a personal identifier of the personassociated with the mobile electronic device in the device mapping; andgenerating, by the attendance server, in the attendance record, anattendance event associating the person associated with the mobileelectronic device with at an event associated with the time and date ofthe acquisition of the fingerprint of the user by way of the fingerprintscanner and the location of the mobile electronic device at the time ofthe acquisition of the fingerprint of the user by way of the fingerprintscanner, to document attendance of the person associated with the mobileelectronic device at the event; and sending, by the attendance server tothe mobile electronic device, acknowledgement data indicative of therecording of the attendance event; and storing, by the mobile electronicdevice, the acknowledgement data in an attendance log stored in thememory of the mobile electronic device.
 16. The medium of claim 15, themobile electronic device further comprising attendance region datadefining geographic extents of an attendance region associated with theevent stored in a memory of the mobile electronic device, the operationsfurther comprising determining, by the mobile electronic device, whetherthe mobile electronic device is located in the attendance regionassociated with the event, and the acquisition of the fingerprint of theuser of the mobile electronic device by way of the fingerprint scanneris performed in response to determining that the mobile electronicdevice is located in the attendance region associated with the event.17. The medium of claim 16, the operations further comprising, inresponse to the mobile electronic device determining that the mobileelectronic device is located in the attendance region associated withthe event, prompting, by the mobile electronic device, the user of themobile electronic device to submit the fingerprint by way of thefingerprint scanner.
 18. The medium of claim 16, the operations furthercomprising, in response to the mobile electronic device determining thatthe mobile electronic device is located outside of the attendance regionassociated with the event, sending, by the mobile electronic device tothe attendance server, follow-up attendance data comprising a time atwhich the mobile electronic device is determined to have exited theattendance region associated with the event.
 19. The medium of claim 15,the operations further comprising: the mobile electronic deviceconducting a registration operation comprising: acquiring, by the mobileelectronic device, the fingerprint of the person associated with themobile electronic device; and sending, by the mobile electronic deviceto the attendance server, registration data comprising: the personalidentifier of the person associated with the mobile electronic device;and the IMEI of the mobile electronic device; and the attendance servergenerating the mapping of the IMEI of the mobile electronic device tothe personal identifier of the person associated with the mobileelectronic device in the device mapping using the personal identifier ofthe person associated with the mobile electronic device and the IMEI ofthe mobile electronic device of the registration data.